Christmas Cheer
by Miss Fenway
Summary: James and Carlos had watched Kendall help them through their problems.  So when their leader and Logan got in a fight, they thought they could step up and help both of their best friends.  NO SLASH!


**A/N. Hey, guys! This is a late Christmas present to my friend, Alex, also known as UnitedPen on fanfiction. She's been an enormous support for me all last year, both for my writing and my life as a whole. Like I said, I had a very rough 2011 and she was one of those friends that I didn't deserve, but had anyway to keep my head above water. I was able to talk to her about a lot of things that were going on and it really helped me. She also told me about the song, "Lucy" by Skillet", which inspired me to write a one-shot by the same title. It's one of my favorite stories I have ever written and I can't skip past the song when it comes on shuffle. **

**Alex, thank you for introducing me to "Lucy". Thank you for inspiring me to continue my writing. But most importantly, thank you for your kindness and your friendship that you showed me this year. It was a hard year for me, but it brought me to you, and I will always be thankful for that. I'm terribly sorry about the long wait, and thank you for your endless patience that I don't deserve. I am very thankful for you and I hope that you like this story. I love you!**

"It doesn't feel like it's only four days before Christmas," Carlos Garcia commented as he absentmindedly scooped up a handful of snow and molded it into a lumpy ball. He tossed it from hand to hand, staring out across at the pond that was near his home.

James Diamond, one of Carlos' three best friends and the only one with him at the moment, nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean," he said thoughtfully as he watched Carlos play with his snowball. "Even with all the music and decorations. . ." he trailed off and shrugged his shoulders, letting his unspoken words fill up the uneasy silence. A chilly wind swept over them, causing both of them to shiver and James wrapped his arms around his upper body. "I sure wish Kendall and Logan would get here so we could just play," he muttered to Carlos.

The two boys were waiting for the other half of their foursome, Kendall Knight and Logan Mitchell. They were all supposed to meet up and play a game of hockey, but that had been nearly fifteen minutes ago and so far, all James and Carlos had done, was wait.

"Do you think they're okay?" Carlos asked, suddenly unable to hide the anxiety in his voice. Kendall wasn't always on time to things, but hockey was different. Kendall loved hockey. Hockey was his life after family and friends. As for Logan, he would rather have his teeth pulled with no pain medication than be late to anything. It just didn't make sense.

James shrugged, his hazel eyes clouded with more worry than any eleven year old boy should have, especially so close to Christmas. "I don't know," he said bluntly. "They've been acting weird lately. Both of them. I mean-" he broke off and hesitated, unsure if he should voice his thoughts out loud. In all honesty, Kendall and Logan were the two reasons it had been hard to find the Christmas spirit. Both of them had been quieter than usual for nearly the entire month of December, almost sullen in a way. Kendall's temper was even shorter than usual and Logan hardly wanted to do anything anymore. Getting him to agree to this particular hockey game had been a task in and of itself.

"They haven't been themselves," Carlos agreed. "I think that's part of the whole Christmas problem. It's hard to get excited when they've both been so down."

James sighed in relief, his breath misting in a cloud over his head in the cold Minnesota air. So he wasn't the only one who was slightly put off by the uncharacteristic behavior of their beat friends. "What do you think is up with them?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Carlos replied, glancing at James out of the corner of his eye. "Kendall's parents got divorced this year. . . it'll be his first Christmas without his dad."

James felt like slapping himself. Now that Carlos had pointed it out, it all made sense. It was so obvious. Kendall had always been close with his dad and Mr. Knight had moved out of the house just three months ago and was now living in Michigan. Christmas used to be a big deal for the father and son duo, but now they weren't even in the same state.

"Logan," Carlos continued his surprisingly accurate analysis of his best friends and their lives. "Logie always gets kind of down around Christmas and other holidays."

A twinge of anger cut through James' earlier embarrassment over his obliviousness of Kendall's situation and a scowl darkened his features. "Yeah well, that's because his dad can't take care of himself much less poor Logan. Would it kill him to give his own son just a little bit of Christmas cheer?"

"Anyway, you know how Kendall and Logan are," said Carlos as if James hadn't even spoken. "Kendall's the one who has always been able to cheer Logan up more than anyone else. But he can't really help him if he's hurting too."

James turned to look at his friend, trying to hide just how surprised he was by the other boy's assessment. "Carlos," he said, half teasing and half serious, "Why didn't you ever tell me you were this smart?"

Carlos smirked and tossed his snowball in the air where it promptly came down and snacked James' shoulder. "I'm just observant," he shot back. "It helps when you don't spend half your time staring at your reflection in mirrors."

His face was already red with cold, but the color darkened in more embarrassment. James gave Carlos a small shove and shook his head. "I do not stare into mirrors all the time." he insisted.

A disbelieving snort of laughter escaped Carlos, but he wisely didn't say anything else on the matter. "Anyway," he said abruptly. "I think we need to help Kendall and Logan out."

That caught James' attention, their previous disagreement forgotten entirely. "How?" he asked curiously since Carlos seemed to be the one coming up with all of the good ideas today.

This time however, Carlos was just as stuck as James. "I don't know," he confessed with a small shrug that conveyed his helplessness. "This is usually Kendall's job." He looked up at James and asked, "What do you think Kendall would do if he was in our place?"

"I think-" James started to say. He stopped short and glanced at his watch. "I think that we should head back and check to see if Kendall and Logan are in one piece in the first place. There won't be much cheering up for us to do if we don't have them."

Carlos pulled out his phone and sighed in frustration. "Neither of them have called or texted," he informed James, the line of worry reappearing in his forehead. "Let's go see what's up."

Fortunately, the pond was nearby all of them, closest to Kendall's house. The two boys shoulder their unused ice skates and trudge back through the knee deep snow until they reach the plowed roads where the walking was easier.

Carlos dialed Kendall and then held the phone to his ear, waiting anxiously. He could feel James' eyes on him and wished that the older boy had remembered his cell phone so he could call Logan at the same time. They were only eleven, but since they spent most of their time wandering around, their parents had all given them cell phones as a way of keeping track of them.

"Carlos?"

"Kendall!" he practically shouted. He saw James sigh in relief and instantly throwing questions at Kendall. "Where were you? James and I waited for more than twenty minutes. Are you okay? Did you get hurt or sick? Do you know where-"

"Carlos!" Kendall interrupted with a shout. "Carlos, what are you talking about?"

Carlos huffed in impatience. By now he and James had reached Kendall's house and he stomped his boots free of snow on the porch rug before speaking again. "Never mind, we're here. We'll be right up." "

Wait, what?" Kendall asked, suddenly sounding panicky. "Carlos, what are you-"

But Carlos didn't wait to hear the rest of Kendall's question. He shut his phone with a click and shoved it back in his pocket. "I'm pretty sure Kendall just forgot," he told James as they stepped inside the house. Having been best friends for six years now, they had all grown accustomed to letting themselves in each others houses.

"Hi, boys." Mrs. Knight greeted them with a confused smile. "How are you?"

"We're fine, Mama K." James replied with a polite smile "Is Kendall home?"

She nodded. "I think he's in his room. Go on up."

"Thanks." Carlos threw a smile over his shoulder at her as he and James moved to the steps. They walked quickly up to the second floor and down the hall to where Kendall's room was.

James stepped ahead of Carlos and knocked on the closed door. "Kendall?" he called, tentatively shoving the door open a crack.

"Go away."

Kendall's muffled voice came from inside and James opened the door all the way, looking around. "Kendall, where are-"

He didn't have to finish though. Kendall was curled up on his bed, hidden under the covers. He peeked out at James and Carlos, sending them a glare that fell short since it was combined with red, puffy eyes. "Go away." he said again, his voice hoarse with tears. Ducking his head back underneath the covers, Kendall tried uselessly to hide his face from them.

"Have you been crying?" Carlos asked in astonishment, before he could think better of it. Stepping closer to Kendall's bed, he gave the covers a gentle yank, pulling them back again.

Kendall groaned and turned away from them to face the wall. "Go away." he said for a third time. But the authority was leaving his voice with each order and when James and Carlos didn't move, he let them stay.

"What happened, Kendall?" James asked softly. "You and Logan didn't show up at the pond today to play hockey. Carlitos and I got worried."

Carlos frowned, noticing the way Kendall flinched when James mentioned Logan's name. "Are you guys okay?" he asked slowly. Kendall gave him no answer, so he pulled out his cell phone and hastily dialed Logan's number.

James watched as Carlos paced back and forth in Kendall's floor and then glanced back at Kendall. "Is it your dad?" he asked with all the tact of a middle school girl. "Are you upset because of your dad?"

Kendall sat up so fast that James fell backwards off the bed and Carlos dropped his phone. "Shut up, James!" he shouted. "Both of you just leave me alone! I don't want to talk about it with anyone. I don't want to talk about anything with anyone. I just want to be alone."

Startled, Carlos could only stare at his friend. "Kendall. . ."

"No, Carlos." Kendall shook his head and stood up. He walked to his bedroom door and looked meaningfully out into the hallway. "Just leave. Both of you."

James scrambled to his feet with Carlos' help and looked pleadingly at his best friend. "Kendall-" he started to say.

"Please," the anger had left Kendall entirely and he looked exhausted. "Just. . . go."

Carlos opened his mouth to say something else, but James shook his head and nodded to the door. Reluctantly, the younger boy bent to pick up his phone and followed his friend out the door. "What do you think that was all about?" he whispered as they made their way back down the stairs.

"Something to do with his dad," James whispered back. Not wanting to create another scene, the boys were careful to avoid Mrs. Knight and Katie and left the house by the back door, crossing the snowy backyard hurriedly. "I also think it had something to do with Logan."

Carlos almost stopped walking, but James tugged him onwards and he quickened his pace. "But why would Kendall be upset about Logan?" he asked breathlessly.

"Don't know," James shrugged. "He didn't answer when you called?" Carlos shook his head and James went on. "Okay, well then we'll stop at his house. We have to figure this out. Kendall has helped us out so many times before. . . we have to at least try and help him out this time. Logan probably needs us too."

Despite the gloomy outlook, Carlos grinned a little. "It's kind of like a mystery, isn't it?" he asked as they jogged to Logan's house. "We have to figure out what's wrong and then we have to help them somehow. We can be our own mystery team! Like those Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson books that Logan loves to read so much!"

James couldn't help but laugh. Trust Carlos to make any situation brighter. "Fine, but I get to be Holmes." he claimed. "I am the best looking."

"Whoever said that Holmes was good looking?" Carlos challenged. "What if Watson is the good looking one?"

"No way!" James scoffed. "Carlos, the leader is always the better looking one of the group. It's an unspoken rule!"

Instead of looking defeated, Carlos grinned again. "So Kendall is better looking than you?" he pointed out. "I mean, he's our leader and-"

"Oh, look!" James exclaimed. "We're here, what do you know!" He hurried up to Logan's front porch, eager to get out of the cold and hoping for Carlos to drop the subject. There wasn't a car in the driveway. Logan was home alone. Even though it was nothing new, James hated that Mr. Mitchell left Logan alone so much. Especially around the holidays or his birthday. "Logan?" he called out as he stepped inside the house.

"Hey, Logie!" Carlos called. "Logan, it's Carlos and James! Are you around?"

James briefly entertained the idea of a neighbor calling the police and getting arrested by Carlos' dad. Technically, they were breaking in. But a familiar voice from upstairs made him forgot this amusing idea and he and Carlos hurried up to Logan's room.

It was a different scene that they had left at the Knight's home. Instead of laying curled up in bed, Logan was sitting at his desk, hunched over a pile of homework that wasn't due until they returned to school two weeks later. He turned when he saw them and instead of seeing green eyes mixed with anger and hurt, James and Carlos saw Logan's brown eyes, burning with fever.

"Logan," Carlos said in dismay. "You're sick!"

"No, I'm not." Logan mumbled in a voice of hoarse denial. He coughed into the crook of his arm and reached for a tissue. "It's just a cold."

"Really?" James asked skeptically. He reached over and rested his head on Logan's forehead, surprised when the other boy didn't try to pull away. Then again, he looked too tired to pull away. "Logan, you're burning up!" he remarked, letting his hand fall to his side. "How long have you been like this?"

Logan shrugged, keeping his eyes downcast to where his open math book lay untouched. "Late last night," he admitted in a rasp. "I'm fine though. I took some medicine and-"

"Where's your dad?" Carlos asked more sharply than he intended.

"Working." Logan cleared his throat and continued. "It's fine, guys, really. He needs to work. I can take care of myself."

"You're eleven." James reminded him.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Am I?" he asked sarcastically.

Throwing up his hands in frustration, James said, "Logan, I know you can take care of yourself, but you shouldn't have to! Does your dad even know you're sick?"

Logan hesitated and then nodded reluctantly. "But it's no-"

"It is a big deal, Logie." Carlos interrupted, his voice softer now. "You're home alone enough as it is, you shouldn't have to be alone when you're sick. James and I were worried when you didn't show up to play hockey."

Logan's eyes widened in alarm. "Crap!" he groaned. "Guys, I completely forgot all about the game, I'm so sorry!"

"It doesn't matter, Logan. We were just worried about you, that's all." James explained. "Kendall didn't show up either. Logan. . . did you and Kendall get in some sort of fight?" From the way Logan flinched, he knew he had his answer. "What happened?" he asked gently.

Logan sighed and shut his book then stood up and went over to sit on his bed. Looking defeated, he picked nervously at a loose thread on his bed covers as he spoke. "Kendall came over earlier." he began. "I was supposed to go over his house and we were going to go to the pond together. But I woke up feeling too sick to go and I texted Kendall to let him know. I told him that he should just go without me, but then he just showed up."

That made perfect sense. Young as they were, they all had their weaknesses and were determined to help each other through them. Kendall, being the unspoken leader of the group, felt a particular sense of responsibility, especially with Logan.

"So, he showed up." Carlos said, waiting for Logan to go on.

"He showed up," Logan repeated. "And I told him I was fine. Then he. . . he got upset about my dad not being here just like you guys."

So far, everything was making sense. Of the four of them, Kendall had the worst temper. As much as he tried to control it, he had a difficult time holding his tongue when it came to Logan's workaholic father. It was a sore subject with the boys and they tried to avoid it as often as possible. However, when it was unavoidable, things could get tense. For some reason, Logan constantly defended his father's work habits and clashed with Kendall's verbal fits about the man. James was afraid to hear where this was going.

Logan's eyes filled with tears then and he ducked his head in shame. "I was mad. . . Kendall always acts like he knows what's best for me. Even more than I do. And I was upset because of my dad and Christmas coming soon. So I. . . I said that Kendall didn't have any right to say what he did about my dad since his wasn't any better."

James and Carlos could only stare at him speechlessly. Neither of them could imagine Logan saying something like that. It was so uncharacteristic of him.

"Then he hit me," Logan went on, surprising them further. "Not very hard, but-" he tilted his head upwards and the other boys could see a faint bruise on the right side of his face. "And he left."

The story had started out making perfectly good sense, but now it had taken a very ugly turn. They had gotten into their fair share of fights before. It made sense since they saw so much of each other. But it had never been just Kendall and Logan. And it had never been so bad. Both James and Carlos were at a complete loss. "Okay, um. . ." James started then trailed off, looking at Carlos helplessly.

"Well first, Logan is sick." Carlos said abruptly. "You said you already took some medicine, right? Okay so next, you get in bed and stay in bed. No homework."

"But-"

"Logan, you have two weeks to do it!" Carlos said in exasperation. "You need to rest. I'll stay here to make sure you do."

"What should I do?" asked James.

Carlos' brow furrowed in concentration. "You can. . ." He clearly had an idea and was now trying to decide whether it was the right one or not. "Go get Kendall."

Logan, who had closed his eyes in resignation, sat up so fast that the motion caused him to break out into a coughing fit that sounded rather painful. He winced and rubbed at his aching chest before pleading with Carlos. "Carlos, you guys can't do this! Kendall hates me. He won't want to come over!"

"Kendall doesn't hate you," James said mildly, sounding appalled by the idea. "He's just mad at you." "

He should hate me." Logan laid back down, looking utterly miserable. "I should have never said what I did about his dad."

"No, you shouldn't have." James agreed simply. "But Kendall should have never hit you. It's not going to help anything if both of you stay at home and sulk." He stood up and glanced at Carlos. "So I'll be right back." He heard Logan groan in protest, but ignored him. He and Carlos had to fix things before they got any worse.

As he trudged through the snow back to Kendall's house, James tried to ignore the heavy weight that had settled itself on his shoulders. It felt even less like four days before Christmas now that Kendall and Logan were fighting. How were he and Carlos supposed to cheer them up now? "First things first, I guess." he said to himself as he let himself in the Knight's house.

Fortunately, Mrs. Knight and Katie were nowhere to be seen. James hated the idea of explaining things to them when he didn't even understand himself. "Kendall?" he said against the closed door. "Can I come in?"

"No."

James sighed and opened the door anyway, ignoring the immediate protests he got from Kendall. "Logan told us what happened." he said, deciding that it was best if they got to the point as quickly as possible.

"What did he say?" asked Kendall lifelessly.

"He. . ." James really didn't want to repeat what Logan had told him. It didn't matter that Kendall already knew. He hated bringing it up again. "He just told us what happened." he finished lamely.

"Did he tell you what he said to me? That I had no right to criticize his father when mine is apparently just as big of a loser? Did he tell you that I-" Suddenly Kendall's voice cracked and he couldn't look at James.

"Yeah, he told me that you hit him," James said shortly, ready to get the conversation over with. He couldn't help feeling just a little amused as he stared at Kendall. As bad as the argument had been, Kendall and Logan were clearly most upset about their own actions rather than the other's. Now that at least, was typical. But his amusement didn't last long.

Kendall looked severely shaken as he finally risked a glance at James. "I don't know what happened," he said quietly. "I just got so mad and- But he was sick and upset too- I shouldn't have hit him at all."

"Don't tell me," James said, grasping Kendall's wrist and pulling him to his feet. "Come back to Logan's house with me and tell him."

Kendall's eyes widened in alarm and he shook his head frantically. "I can't, James! You didn't see his face after I. . . you know. He was so shocked and- and scared. He probably hates me."

"You and Logan can be really stupid, did you know that?" James asked. "Kendall, he thinks you hate him right now."

"I don't hate him," Kendall said right away. "I hate what he said, but I don't hate him at all."

"Don't. Tell. Me." James said again, more slowly this time. "Tell. Logan."

* * *

><p>"Do you need anything?" Carlos asked as he and Logan waited for James to come back with Kendall. Logan was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling.<p>

Slowly, he shook his head. "No, I'm okay. Thanks, Carlos."

"Are you sure?" Carlos persisted. "How long has it been since you took medicine. Are you hungry or thirsty? Cold?"

"No," said Logan quietly. He turned his head to Carlos and asked in a small voice. "Carlos, what if Kendall does hate me?"

Carlos stared at Logan. The faint bruise on his face was an ugly reminder of just how far the fight had gone. But the answer to Logan's question was as simple as ever. "No," he said quite simply. "No, Logan, I don't think Kendall hates you. I don't think he could ever hate you."

"But what I said about his dad-"

"Was really stupid and insensitive." Carlos interrupted smoothly. "Maybe even the stupidest thing you've ever said. But, Logie, all three of us get mad at your dad constantly and say things that we probably shouldn't. You're still our friend, right, why is that?"

"Because," Logan blinked back tears. "Because deep down, I know you say those things because you care about me and you're angry that my dad hurts me. Carlos, what I said to Kendall is completely different. I said it to hurt him and for no other reason at all."

At first, Carlos was too surprised to say anything. Logan very rarely admitted out loud that his dad's constant absence and distant behavior hurt him. It wasn't what they had been talking about at all, but Carlos still found it hard to refocus his thoughts. "Logan-" he began to say after a while.

But before he could finish, the door opened again and James and Kendall both walked in. Carlos sighed in relief, but almost choked afterward. What if Logan was right? What if Kendall did hate him? Or what if he didn't quite hate him but he was still really mad at him and didn't want to talk at all? Then again, if that were the case, Kendall wouldn't be here now, would he? Logan looked frightened all of the sudden and Kendall looked absolutely mortified. Carlos watched with tense apprehension as the older boy walked up to Logan's bed and sat on the edge. He glanced at James, whose helpless shrug did nothing to calm his nerves.

"Did I do that?" Kendall asked softly, gesturing to the bruise on Logan's face.

Logan gave a small nod. "I deserved it," he replied sadly. "What I said to you. . . Kendall, it was really horrible and I'm so sorry. I don't blame you if you hate me and never want me to forgive you."

"But Logan-" Kendall looked stunned. "Logan, I could never hate you. It's me who should be sorry. I-" He cut himself off and gestured wordlessly to Logan's face.

Logan touched the bruise lightly. "It's not that bad," he insisted, sitting up.

"I hurt you though." Kendall said, sounding horrified. "Logan, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I was just so. . . so angry. I was angry at my parents and then I was angry at you and I took all of my anger out on you." He swallowed hard and then gently brushed aside Logan's fingers to touch the bruise himself. "I can't believe I did this to you."

"It's okay." Logan swallowed hard and then looked up at Kendall. "So. . . you don't hate me then?"

Kendall simply shook his head and then said, "Do you hate me?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Logan's mouth, making him look a little less sick. "Nope. I'm still sorry about what I said though. You were right about my dad and I didn't want you to be. That's still no excuse but-"

"It's okay," Kendall said hurriedly, obviously wanting to ease Logan's guilt. "I understand, Logan." He smiled. "Thanks, buddy."

Logan smiled hack shyly and then turned to James and Carlos. "Thanks to you guys too." he said gratefully.

Carlos, looking very pleased and relieved with the most recent turn of events, grinned widely. "What are friends for?" he asked cheerfully. "We're just glad we could help."

James nodded in agreement, but looked in disappointment at Logan who still looked quite sick. "Carlos and I were going to give you guys some Christmas cheer after we fixed things," he explained. "But you're sick, Logan. And Christmas is only four days away."

The others looked equally disappointed, but Logan sat up slowly, looking hopeful. "What were you guys planning on doing?" he asked curiously.

* * *

><p>"I don't think Logan should be outside right now. It's too cold."<p>

"Kendall, calm down!" Carlos exclaimed, feeling exasperated and amused all at the same time. "He just has a bad cold, not the black plague! You worry too much. You're like an old man sometimes!"

"I am not!" Kendall denied quickly. "I just think he should stay home where-"

"Where nothing is happening." James interrupted. "Kendall, if we leave him alone, then he'll die of boredom! We're saving his life!"

But Kendall didn't look convinced at all. "I didn't mean we should leave him all alone!" he said, looking insulted by the very idea. "I just meant we should do something inside, because it'll be safer that way."

James and Carlos snorted with laughter. "Safer!" James repeated, rolling his eyes. "Kendall, what do you think is going to happen?"

"Hey, guys!" Logan called as he caught up to them, breathing heavily. His face was flushed, whether from the cold or his fever, they couldn't tell. The small bruise on his face had become more pronounced so that Kendall was hardly looking at him. But he was happy and that made all the difference for James and Carlos.

"You know, I'm right here." he reminded them. "So you can stop talking about me like I'm not."

"Sorry, Logan." Kendall apologized. Apparently, he now considered his duty to apologize to Logan for almost everything. "We know you're here. Are you doing okay? You look pretty sick."

Logan coughed slightly, but nodded. "I'm fine, Kendall. It's just a cold. Really. I want to do this."

"Okay, well. . ." Kendall glanced down at the sled James was pulling. "James, stop for a second! Hey, Logan, why don't you-"

"Kendall, _no._" said Logan as firmly as he could. "I am not going to sit on the sled. What's the point? I won't be able to ride back once we get our tree."

"Well, at least you could rest if-"

"Stop!" Logan and James and Carlos commanded all at the same time. "Kendall." Logan stopped in his tracks, forcing Kendall to stop as well. "Calm. Down."

"Yeah, Kendall, you're only-" James stopped suddenly and glanced at his other friends. They seemed to have reached the same conclusion all at the same time. Kendall had always been protective of all of them, despite his young age. But with his father gone, it must have affected him in more ways than they originally thought.

"Logan, go ahead and sit down." Carlos said after a while. He held Logan' gaze for a brief time, hoping to silently tell Logan to just let Kendall have his way for the time being.

Fortunately, Logan was a master at silent communication and nodded before obediently sitting down. He looked humiliated, but smiled anyway. "Okay," he said once he was settled. "Can we go now?"

"Will they even have any trees left?" Kendall hissed in a whisper to Carlos as they set off again. "It's really close to Christmas. I don't want Logan to get his hopes up and then not be able to get anything."

Carlos looked at James, who shrugged, and then looked back at Kendall. "I guess we'll find out. We'll make it work, Kendall. Just like we've always made things work out."

"Hey, but try to have fun, Kendall." James added. "We're not just doing this for Logan. We're doing it for you too. We just want you to be happy."

Kendall seemed thoughtful. "I am happy," he said after a while. "I know I haven't acted like it lately, and I'm really sorry about that. I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry about shutting you guys out and hitting Logan. I've been a really horrible friend."

"Not too horrible," Carlos grinned, slinging an arm over the taller boy's shoulder. "Just kind of stupid. Lucky for you, we're really awesome friends. We'll keep you on the right track from now on, Kendall. Don't worry. We're here for you."

Because that's what best friends were for.

**A/N. I think you've all probably realized by now that I have no idea where I would be without my friends. So that last line was actually personal, and I liked it. I hope you did too. I hope you liked the story itself. Jarlos bromance is something that I've never really written before, so this was new for me. I also very rarely write the boys younger than sixteen, but my friend Lauren (thank you again, darling) helped me think of this idea, and it worked best for them to be eleven. It was very fun to write though, so once again, I hope you all loved it. Alex especially of course. -hearts- **


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